Vol 10, Issue 2 - American International School - Riyadh

Mawade’ah
AIS-R
TOPICS
March 2010, Volume 10 Issue 2
Learning in the
21 st Century!

AIS-R’s Mission
As a school committed to excellence,
we will educate and inspire our students to be responsible,
productive and ethical world citizens with the skills and passion to
think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively and learn
continuously. We will accomplish this in an American educational
environment characterized by high measurable standards
and a clearly defined, appropriately interrelated college
preparatory curriculum, implemented by
a superior staff in partnership with parents
and the community.
Mawade’ah means “topics” in Arabic. In this case, the name conveys the idea
of topics that form an ongoing conversation about our school.
Publisher:
American International School-Riyadh
P.O. Box 990
Riyadh, 11421 Saudi Arabia
Phone: (9661) 491-4270
Fax: (9661) 491-7101
Online:
www.aisr.org
Superintendent: ext. 235
Registration: ext. 248/270
Editors:
Layout & Design:
Jerri Myers
and Kerri McGlade
Joyce Mikhael Zammar
2

Five Minds for
the Future
(Gardner
er, 20
09)
The Disciplinary
Mind
—
the mastery of
majo
r schools
of thought,
ht
such
as science,
e,
mathematics, atic
and
history, and of
at least one
area
of professional
expertise.
The
Synthesizing
Mind—
the ability to
integrate t
ideas
from
many
disciplines
ipli
into
coherent
wholes and to
communicate
this to others.
The Creating
Mind—
the capacity
to unearth and
explain
ne
w
problems,
questions and
phenomena.
ena.
The Respectful
Mind—
the awareness aren
ess of
and appreciation
pr
for similarities
and diff
ffer
eren
ence
ces
among human
be
ings
and
human grou
oups
ps.
The Ethical
Mind—
the fulfillment
lment
of one’s
responsibilities
as a world
citizen.
In This Issue ...
Dear Friends of AIS-R,
During the first decade of the 21 st century, educators renewed a dialogue about the ways
in which people learn, based on a wealth of new research in the field. They also debated
a range of adaptive skills and understandings that students require for future growth
and success. With breakthroughs in cognitive science, innovations in technology,
initiatives with online learning, advancements in social networking—to name a few—
this conversation flourished and a general consensus has emerged in the literature that
is strikingly straightforward: The principles of schooling must change. Educationalists
(and futurists), therefore, are working toward deciphering the brave new possibilities of the future with an essential
question: “How do we prepare students as life-long learners in a rapidly changing world”
Researchers have begun to unpack the complexities of this question with a promising agreement about the critical
understandings, skills, and dispositions that students require for learning success in the future—what many are
calling 21 st Century Skills. In this literature, theorists emphasize that the learning processes essential for the future
will need to be generative, authentic, cross-disciplinary and metacognitive; integrated skills such as creativity,
problem-solving, innovation, critical thinking, and so forth, will be key. In his new book, Five Minds for the
Future (2009), the renowned Harvard psychologist, Howard Gardner, asserts that the cognitive abilities required
for generational viability are as follows: the Disciplinary, Synthesizing, Creating, Respectful and Ethical “minds”
(see side panel). Gardner, among others, argues that educators must refocus their energies to develop these “habits
of mind” in their students so that they will be able to learn continuously and adapt easily to a new world order
that remains, at present, elusive. In other words, educators must shift their practice from established pedagogy to
transformative instruction, focused on learning and higher level thinking skills, in order for students to respond
appropriately no matter what is ahead for them in life.
Over the past several years, this paradigm shift has been emerging in educational practice and educators at AIS-R
(and beyond) have been expanding their repertoires to ensure that these indispensable skills are realized. Just the
other day, for example, I visited a HS English classroom where I observed 21 st century learning in action. Here,
students, in the midst of an assignment, arranged in cooperative groups—some at tables, some seated in a circle,
some standing—were engaged in the learning process: dialoguing, debating, creating and collaborating. The
assignment was to conceptualize Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat (certainly relevant in the 21 st Century),
and decide how to best share critical information that would demonstrate their learning—an oral presentation, a
technology display, an interactive debate, and so forth. With initial criteria for the assignment discussed, the
parameters were open and flexible and students were expected to negotiate, problem-pose and problem-solve;
there were no exact answers assumed for this generative assignment. Instead, learners were challenged to develop
(further) many of the habits so richly described by Gardner and as one student reflected: “By reading this book I’ve
learned how far we’ve come and how fast technology is changing things. It’s exciting, but kind of scary.”
Like Mike Kielkopf’s learning activity above, the authors of this edition of Mawade’ah are tackling some of the
complexities of this important dialogue: Michael McGlade, Technology Director, sets the stage by defining and
expanding the concept of 21 st Century Skills, especially in light of AIS-R’s Mission; Moiz Qureshi, an AIS-R student,
mindfully discusses his MUN learning experience in Athens; Stuart Stephenson shares a cognitive scientist’s view
about “getting smarter”; Layal Sayoud overviews progressive teaching and learning through “explicit modeling”;
Roma Soni and her students share their creating experiences with contextualized art endeavors; Michelle Khoury
sings about learning through music; David Johnson makes learning real; Saurabh Luthra empowers (and cherishes)
young writers; and, Jason Inghram reminds us about the dynamic nature of a teacher’s job description. Here, our
community of learners share their embedded experiences to demonstrate the emerging shift in educational practice.
The complexity of how to best prepare students for success in the future is an imperative conversation that schools
must have and this edition of Mawade’ah reinforces that we are immersed in this dialogue here at AIS-R. By
staying attuned to educational trends, research and best practices we will continue to develop ourselves and build
in students the habits of mind that are necessary for success today and in the future.
At AIS-R, we are energized about the learning possibilities ahead and we hope that you will enjoy this edition of
Mawade’ah.
Learn with us!
Dr. Brian Matthews
AIS-R Superintendent
3

4
A Mission Driven Curriculum for
21st Century Learners
by : Michael McGlade
As we enter the second decade of the 21 st
century, schools worldwide continue
to struggle with the challenge of teaching
our children with what have been described
as 21 st Century Skills (Stuart, 1999). These
are the skills that students will need to
be successful and productive members
of society in the decades to come. What
are those skills How are they different
from 20 th century skills What role does
technology play in teaching and learning
those skills How does our school’s
Mission Statement guide us in meeting this
challenge
In many ways, the skills that are considered
essential for success in the new century are
not new at all. According to the Partnership
for 21 st Century Skills (2009), the leading
educational body advocating this approach,
the skills include the following:
Creative Thinking: the ability to create
new ideas
Innovation: the ability to turn those
ideas into new action and products
Critical Thinking: the ability to
measure the quality of information and
act accordingly
Problem Solving: the ability to apply
what one knows to new situations
(Honey, 2005)
Communication: the ability to listen
and express ideas effectively through
video, audio, animation, as well as on
paper and in person (Honey, 2005)
Collaboration: the ability to work with
others for a common purpose
It would be difficult to argue that these
skills are new or that, not until 10 years
ago did individuals need to work together,
solve problems or be creative. The fact is
that they are not new at all, but that schools
typically do not consider them the most
important aspects of a child’s education.
Schools in the 20 th century were much like
schools in the 19 th century, filling students
with knowledge and teaching them how to
get good grades. Students learned to listen
to the teacher and repeat what they heard.
So, what has changed Why is that no
longer enough
Technology, and the explosion of
information that it has brought, has
fundamentally changed the main purpose of
school. School used to be the place students
had to go to learn things. School was where
the teachers were, where the books were
and where students’ peers were. Now, one
can gain knowledge of any subject, find
facts and knowledge in unlimited amounts,
all through the Internet. One can find many
experts, thousands of teachers and millions
of peers, all on the Internet. Any book a
student might want to read can be purchased
or downloaded from, yes, the Internet.
School is no longer the place students need
to go to gain knowledge. The recent focus
on 21 st Century Skills is an attempt to shift
our goal from knowledge acquisition to
skill acquisition. And, not just any skills,
it is shifting our focus to those skills that
Technology Director
are required specifically to deal with the
explosion of information that technology
has brought.
At the opening of the century, with the
advent of the interactive web, or Web 2.0
(O’Reilly, 2005), the nature of knowledge
and information changed radically. No
longer was there simply a rapidly growing
amount of factual knowledge (which
presented enough of a challenge to schools
and teachers), but there emerged the added
aspect of feedback. Web 2.0 is characterized
by the ability of individuals to voice their
own opinions and interact with the web. Our
ability to comment on news stories, argue
and debate the facts and present different
points of view has challenged the notion
that news is “just the facts.” Our ability
to share our knowledge and have others
verify or challenge its accuracy, in forums
such as Wikipedia, has changed the way we
look at the notion of an expert. Our ability,
through blogs, wikis and tools like twitter,
to create our own knowledge and share it
on a global scale, has both increased the
amount of information and made it nearly
impossible to trust the veracity of any
sources of information. Now that anyone
can have a voice and nearly everyone does
have a voice, the notion of expertise is more
and more elusive.

The dawn of a new century has therefore
brought with it several fundamental changes
in the way we communicate, changes in our
individual ability to innovate, create and
share, and new opportunities for global
collaboration. This has, in turn, created an
ever-greater need for us to think critically
about information and data in order to solve
real-world problems. This is the difference
between what students needed 20 years ago
and what they need today and will need in
the decades to come. They need to learn
the skills, the 21 st Century Skills, to actively
and productively participate in this global
knowledge boom. Students need to be
creators and innovators. Sitting back and
listening is no longer enough. They need
to join the conversation, give opinions and
listen to others. We can no longer tell them
who the experts are. They need to be able
to judge that for themselves. They need to
work together, not just with their classmates
but also with people from different countries
and cultures. They need to learn how to
learn because they will need to learn new
ways of finding information as technology
tools change (and they are changing daily).
At AIS-R, our mission states: “…we will
educate and inspire our students to be
responsible, productive and ethical world
citizens with the skills and passion to think
creatively, reason critically, communicate
effectively, and learn continuously.”
Through this statement, we acknowledge
that our students must have creative thinking
skills, critical reasoning skills, and must
innovate, communicate, and collaborate
in order to be responsible, productive and
ethical global citizens. Our mission then
directs us to target those 21 st Century Skills.
We do so using the same Technology tools
that have necessitated the change in focus:
We provide students with opportunities
to publish their work to wider
audiences, via the web
We encourage students to comment on
and provide feedback to peers when
their work is published on the web
We have them use email to communicate
We have them use Blackboard to
participate in class discussion forums,
outside of class
We provide them with tools like
Discovery Streaming for learning
We teach them to create videos to
communicate their learning
We challenge their thinking by teaching
them to find multiple sources to back
up their facts
We insist that they have accurate, cited
sources to back up their work
We challenge them with problems to
solve rather than simply asking them to
repeat the facts
We provide them with opportunities to
use digital tools, the Internet and online
communication forums to increase
their exposure to information
We also realize that there is more that can be
done. In order to be successful 21 st century
learners, students need further opportunities
to participate in online communities and
harness the power of online networks. We
must provide them with safe opportunities
to do so in school, to experiment and to fail,
before they need to rely on these tools for
their livelihood. We have to give students
more opportunity to guide their own
learning, to tell us how they learn best and
to allow them to use the tools best suited
to their individual needs. With a myriad of
digital tools for learning an infinite number
of subjects, we must allow for that kind of
individualization. Conversely, we must
also harness the power of digital tools for
collaboration and teach our students to
work together on common goals and for the
improvement of the group.
Are we adequately preparing our children
for the 21 st century Our Mission Statement
guides us by telling us what we want our
students to become. Our student’s needs
inform our teaching and tell us what
they need to learn to fulfill that Mission.
Technology challenges us by creating an
ever-changing landscape of knowledge
and skills to be learned, but it also enables
us by providing the very tools we need to
navigate that landscape. Our missiondriven
approach, supported with the right
technology tools, will ensure our children’s
readiness for the future.
Sources :
www.21stcenturyskills.org. Partnership
for 21st Century Skills, 2004. Web. 15
Feb. 2010.
Stuart, Lisa, et al. 21st Century Skills
for 21st Century Jobs. A Report of
the U.S. Department of Commerce,
U.S. Department of Education, U.S.
Department of Labor, National Institute
for Literacy and Small Business
Administration. 1999. ERIC. EBSCO.
Dede, Chris. “Emerging influences of
information technology on school
curriculum.” Journal of Curriculum
Studies 32.2 (2000): 281-303.
Professional Development Collection.
EBSCO.
O’Reilly, Tim. “What is Web 2.0: Design
Patterns and Business Models for the
Next Generation of Software.” http://
oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-isweb-20.html
(2005)
Honey, Margaret, et al. “Critical Issue:
Using Technology to Improve Student
Achievement.” http://www.ncrel.org/
sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/
te800.htm#skill (2005)
5

Athens : A city with one of the most
glorious histories in the world, a city
worshipped by gods and people; a magical
city. Who hasn’t heard of the Acropolis of
Athens In October, nine delegates from
AIS-R’s High School Model United Nations
Club traveled with Mr. Jaison Norris and
Mrs. Charmagne Braden to Athens for the
12 th Annual Deutsche Schule Athen (DSA)
MUN Conference, and what an experience
it was! It was the first time for all of us to be
a part of a conference like this where, with
the exception of the two International Court
of Justice participants, we all represented
the United States.
From debating peace and stability in Sudan
in the Security Council to discussing the
rights of a child in the Special Conference,
each of us was held accountable for a certain
committee of the same country rather than
the traditional way of representing different
countries in different committees. This new
style required us to work as a team rather
than individually. Just as we thought we
were getting along, we were introduced
to the “THIMUN” (European) style of
debating, and we were accustomed to the
6
“Harvard” (American) style. That in itself
held its own challenges.
It was also a tedious task
for all of us (even those
of us with experience) to
write our own solutions
to the problems or
resolutions, as we like
to call them in MUN.
First we had to write
them before going to
Athens, and then we had
to modify them to fit our
allies’ requests. Finally,
we had to modify them
when they
were edited by a strict panel
of MUN directors that
critiqued every possible aspect
(including grammar) of the
resolution.
When the debating of each
of the resolutions took place,
being the United States, we
were continuously bombarded
with many questions
and were even
verbally attacked for
our ‘hypocritical’
actions. Defending
the US position was not for one
with a weak heart but required
much courage and confidence.
Apart from the conference, we
were graciously taken out to go
see the Parthenon that stood tall
on top of the Acropolis of Athens
and though many of us were
in no mood for hiking, when
we reached the top we realized
MUN in Athens
by : Moiz Qureshi
Grade 11
what we would have missed. It truly was a
breathtaking view. While we there we also
were given the opportunity of experiencing
a new culture. At the end of our conference
we were treated to an extravagant Greek
dance performed by some of the students.
We were also introduced to many different
types of food and even enjoyed a dinner at
the Greek version of McDonald’s known as
Goodies; it was quite the experience.
We were really thankful that we had such
supportive teachers that took such pride
and interest in the work that we did in the
conference.
We are truly
grateful to
them for
making this
experience a
wonderful
one.
Although at
the end of
the day, there
were many
different
views and
opinions of the structure of the conference
and on Athens as a whole. Now we look
back at our trip and remember the great
memories and friendships that we made
there, and whether it was being chased by
crazed dogs on the Acropolis or enjoying
a traditional Greek dinner after a hard day
of constant debating. We all unanimously
agreed that we loved Athens!

Why Don’t Students Like School is a
book written by cognitive scientist
Daniel Willingham to present research about
how the mind works outside the research
laboratory and look at what it means for the
classroom.
Willingham presents nine principles that are
fundamental to the mind’s operation. The
principles have been selected because they
are true all the time (both in the laboratory
and in the classroom), they are supported by
large amounts of data, they have classroom
applications and have the potential to have a
big impact on student learning.
The first principle answers the question
posed in the title of the book. School requires
students to think abstractly and this is not
something our brains are designed to be good
at. We only enjoy thinking when it is not too
simple and not too difficult. As teachers this
is what we have to plan for our students.
The other principles Willingham describes
include:
“Factual knowledge must precede
skill”(Willingham). In other words,
it is not possible to think effectively
on a subject in the absence of factual
knowledge. This is essential to reading
comprehension. In one study, poor
readers with knowledge of baseball
scored better on a comprehension
exercise about baseball than good
readers with little knowledge of baseball.
The Secret to Getting Smarter
by : Stuart Stephenson
“Memory is the residue of thought”
(Willingham). I often find myself at the
end of a lecture or presentation only
able to remember the lecturer’s jokes
and not the substance of the lecture.
We have to think about what we want
to remember and as teachers, we have
to ask, “What will the students think
during this lesson” making sure that it
is what we want them to remember and
being careful about the use of attention
grabbers.
“We understand new things in the
context of what we already know, and
most of what we know is concrete”
(Willingham). Abstract ideas are
difficult to understand and very difficult
to translate to new situations. To be able
to apply an abstract idea, it is critical that
we practice thinking about it and using
it.
“It is virtually impossible to become
proficient at a mental task without
extended practice” (Willingham). You
cannot become a good basketball or
football player without practicing to
the point where low-level skills become
automatic, leaving you with the time and
capacity to think about more advanced
skills. You cannot become good at
algebra without knowing math facts by
heart. Practice makes a skill perfect and
also makes it permanent, automatic and
transferable to new situations, enabling
more complex work that relies on the
basics.
“Cognition early in training is
fundamentally different from cognition
late in training” (Willingham). We
shouldn’t expect our students to think
like mathematicians, historians or
scientists because they are only novices.
A more modest goal for our students is
knowledge comprehension – striving for
a deep understanding on the part of the
students rather than the creation of new
knowledge.
“Children are more alike than different
in terms of how they think and learn”
(Willingham). With this principle,
Willingham dismisses learning styles
and tells us as teachers to think in terms
of content not in terms of students.
“Children do differ in intelligence, but
intelligence can be changed through
sustained hard work” (Willingham).
This principle is as important to parents
as it is to teachers. Students should
think of their intelligence as under their
control, and should know that they can
develop their intelligence through hard
work. As parents and teachers, we can
encourage this by praising effort rather
than ability by saying, “Good job, you
must have worked hard,” rather than,
“Good job, you are smart.” and treating
failure as a natural part of learning. (For
more research on the importance of this
I would recommend “Mindset” by Carol
Dweck.)
HS Math
“Teaching, like any complex skill, must
be practiced to be improved.” This is
directed at teachers and offers us some
ways we can examine and improve our
practice.
In addition to his book, Willingham also has a
website ( www.danielwillingham.com) where
you can read his articles and watch him on
video. He also writes a column called “Ask
the Cognitive Scientist” for the American
Educator. (One of his recent articles was
titled ‘Is It True That Some People Just Can’t
Do Math’ Answer: No. We can do it, but it
takes time and effort, and requires mastering
increasingly complex skills and content. This
also explains why I can’t speak Arabic or
play the guitar.) He is also often a guest on a
Washington Post column called “The Answer
Sheet – A School Survival Guide for Parents
(And Everyone Else)”.
Finally here is the secret to getting smarter
according to Willingham: “The secret
to getting smarter is not really a big
secret. Engage in intellectual activities.
Read the newspaper, watch informative
documentaries, find well-written books that
make intellectual content engaging. Perhaps
most important; watch less television. It’s
rarely enriching, and it’s an enormous time
sink.” He goes on to advise many small
changes rather than a vigorous program –
putting a little more learning into every day
and developing the habit of looking for those
opportunities.
Perhaps you could start by reading his book
for yourself.
Source:
Willingham, Daniel. Why Don’t Students
Like School. San Franscisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass, 2009. Print.
7

The Benefits of Inquiry
Teaching Supported by Explicit
Teacher Modeling
by : Layal Saoud
Grade 5
Homeroom Teacher
Teaching and learning in the 21 st century
focuses around helping children
become independent learners. With this
idea in mind, teachers at AIS-R use an
inquiry based teaching approach supported
by teacher explicit modeling. These two
strategies combined help in changing
teacher-centered classrooms to studentcentered
ones, where kids become fully
independent and take responsibility for their
education. Does this suggest that students
don’t need teachers anymore What are
AIS-R teachers doing then Are they just
leaving kids to work on their own being
satisfied with whatever results they come
up with The explicit teacher modeling
approach is the key to inquiry learning
success and to helping students become
independent learners.
Inquiry moves away from activities and
tasks at the recall level to projects requiring
8
application, synthesis, interpretation and
evaluation of information and ideas (Harada
and Yoshina 2004). Learning is social and
interactive, and teachers must facilitate it.
Students need guidance rather than being
spoon-fed in order to succeed. Teachers of
the 21 st century don’t lecture anymore. This
old strategy has been replaced by explicit
modeling of processes and skills that lead
to meaningful learning. By this I mean that
teachers nowadays focus on empowering
kids with best practices and strategies to
become problem solvers, communicators,
and critical thinkers; that is, to assimilate
all skills needed to be future workers and
citizens of the 21 st century. This inquiry
teaching, supported by explicit modeling,
may be practiced in any subject area.
AIS-R’s elementary teachers have been
implementing it in language arts, math and
sciences; and the results are promising.
In language arts, whether teachers are using
The Daily Five, Reader’s Workshop, or
Writer’s Workshop; the process is similar.
It all starts with the teacher modeling skills
and strategies and thinking aloud. Teachers
are modeling reading during reading time
and similarly, writing during writing time.
They are modeling the whole process to
students who are subsequently emulating
those models. For example, to prepare my
5 th graders for Literature Circle discussions,
I first modeled how to select a book then read
it aloud in class. While reading, I was also
modeling when to stop and ask questions,
make connections, jot down unfamiliar
words, visualize, etc. I was focusing on one
strategy per day and allowing for practice
session the next day. I was amazed to see
my kids rushing to get sticky notes, start
reading silently, and implementing those
strategies. What does this have to do with
inquiry learning After enough modeling
and practice sessions, students were able
to go into literature circle groups and lead
discussions independently. Students asked
all kinds of questions; especially ones that
led to arguments and debates. For example
one student asked whether the title of the
book was a good one or not. Another student
wondered what could have happened if the
main character had a different personality.
The wonderful thing was that all other
group members were voicing their opinions
and contributing to the discussion. Students
were also extending their conversation
in an amazing way. While talking about
unfamiliar words, kids were using different
strategies to find the meaning of words.

They were discussing prefixes, suffixes,
synonyms, antonyms, etc. For example
some students were discussing the meaning
of “infinite.” It was remarkable to see
them wondering whether there is a word
such as finite and what it means. As a
teacher who models all reading strategies
for my students and gives them enough
time to practice each, I am confident I am
helping them become independent readers.
I am confident that they can think deeply
about books they decide to read and lead
meaningful discussions with their friends.
In math and sciences, inquiry-based
learning centers around giving students
freedom to observe, investigate and
conduct experiments on their own. This
means that students are expected to start
their work by conceptualizing a question,
then seeking possible explanations that
respond to that question. They will also be
asked to design and carry out investigations
that test their ideas. However, this does
not mean that teachers leave kids to work
on their own without any guidance. The
teacher’s role as facilitator is very important
in students’ success. Throughout the whole
process, and before asking students to work
independently, the teacher models skills
and processes needed. Again students are
trained in each aspect separately then given
a chance to practice those aspects before
using them
independently.
As preparation
for this year’s
science fair,
I decided to
expose students
to different
materials that
they need to
observe and
manipulate in
order to come up
with investigable
questions. Rather
than asking
them to check
the internet for
science fair
project ideas,
students will
be formulating
their own questions. However, throughout
this process, I will be working with groups
of students, guiding them on how to ask
questions, discussing their different kinds,
and teaching them how to turn their noninvestigable
questions into investigable
ones. Next, students will formulate a
hypothesis and design an experiment to test
it. It won’t matter whether the experiment
works or not. The most important thing in
inquiry based learning is the process! Their
ability to interpret results and evaluate their
overall work is the most important thing.
Throughout this whole process, students
will be exposed to a variety of teacher
guided mini-lessons which will help in
structuring their work, leading to successful
independent learning.
Inquiry Based Teaching supported by
explicit teacher modeling does really
balance freedom and structure. The
teacher’s role as facilitator is much harder
than lecturer. AIS-R teachers work hard on
preparing daily mini-lessons and inquirybased
activities to structure learning in all
subjects and help kids become independent
learners. They never ask kids to work
independently unless they equip them with
the best practices and strategies needed.
AIS-R teachers are always challenging their
kids; giving them opportunities to wonder
and find out about anything and everything.
Source:
Harada, V H, and J M Yoshina.
Inquiry Learning through Teacher-
Librarian Partnerships. Worthington,
OH: Linworth, 2004. N. pag. Print.
9

AIS-R We Look Good !
by Roma Soni
MS Art
I learned that contemporary artwork is
not on a pedestal. It can be brought into
the classroom and taught in a manner
where the students can approach it,
appreciate it, and make something similar
because they are the contemporary artists.
—Ben Morales, 2009-2010 Art21 Educator
This semester, art students focused on
contemporary art. Our diverse groups of
emerging artists are working to provide a
visual arts experience that goes far beyond
a gallery visit.
Here at AIS-R, our art students transform
inspiration into art and grapple with the
challenges of achieving their artistic vision.
This contemporary art series affords
viewers and students the chance to discover
their own innate abilities to understand
contemporary art and to explore possibilities
for creative thinking and self-expression.
Roma Soni
10
Roll On Like The Waves, It’s A New Day
This canvas was part of a group effort to
create a portrait of liveliness. Some may
ask how a wave next to the beach and a few
palm trees sparks the feeling of energy. If
you have ever been to the beach, you might
notice the sound of the waves. That is why
the wave was painted large in scale, since
large waves crash and draw back with noise.
The constant repetition of ebbing gives the
wave a sense of life. Also, the deep blue
color represents happiness, and happiness
is a form of lively energy. The sun and the
sky radiate lively energy, since the sun is
rising. The idea behind this was that the sun
was rising in the morning, which gives the
sense of coming alive. The palm trees and
the beach represent abundance, since lively
energy is abundant, and it never dies.
Jean-Pierre O’Neil The Palette –
Treasurer Michelle, Liyana, Aileen,
Stephan, François
AIS-R of the Future
A robot, a simple yet complex creation, will
be part of tomorrow’s world. Today’s AIS-R
students will be part of it too. Knowledge
is the key to progression, and these days,
it seems as though that key resides in
technology. This robot’s mind is an
explosion of information. Directly stemming
from its mind are subjects machines capable
of understanding mathematics and sciences.
But as you move toward the left, there are
more human-interest symbols. Global
citizenship, creativity, and activity surround
the AIS-R logo. These are concepts relating
to people’s passion. Technology is part of
our world, but there will always be things
it won’t be able to do. AIS-R encourages
learning about both applied sciences and
liberal arts, so it is bursting with all these
things. We become well rounded. This is
what makes AIS-R such a modern school.
Michelle Bullough
The Palette – President
Our Future World
My theme is environment because the world
is starting to suffer from global warming.
I didn’t like how people cut down all the
tropical forests in the Amazon, which is
like the heart of an oxygen factory. I like
the colors; how the artist used dark colors
but did not give an eerie impression. The
original painting did not use cubism. When
I was done painting, I used the thick black
marker to change the entire mood of the
painting. I really like this painting because
this is my first painting on a huge canvas.
Yujin Kang
We As Dots
Our group dot painting is an interesting
piece of artwork. It was our first time
working on a gigantic canvas, and it was
an awesome experience. It was not an easy
task, but it was enjoyable. I want to work
on a canvas like this more often. The star
in the middle represents world peace. The
painting traditionally represents tribes
sitting around a camp fire. In the 21 st
century it has different meaning for us. Each
circle with the U’s around it symbolize the
different classes sitting around a teacher
while the star in the middle represents
the peace around the school. Every color

signifies all the different religions, colors,
and nationalities of our school. All the dots
shows that every single living being in this
school helps make AIS-R a wonderful place
for learning.
The painting that we created is about our
American International School – Riyadh,
being one community, one family. The
endless dots symbolize that the future is
forever. . . move on in to the 21st century;
step into the future. We are all proud of
what we have created.
Summayah Aziz, Umaima Khanani,
Eden T, and Ziad Hatem.
Row of Emotions
The Row of Emotions was inspired by the
fact that all of us are very different and
unique, which is why we decided to portray
our emotions on a painting. At this age,
many students have confused feelings and
find it difficult to explain and help people
understand them. The background contrast
slowly changes from hot colors to cool
colors from left to right and shows how each
of us slowly become more and more tranquil
and calm as we move into our future and
grow into adults. The background patterns
symbolize our emerging personalities,
hopes and aspirations. Each specific
silhouette also links to the person’s desires
and dreams.
Numair Begaumi, Rohan Bosman,
Sietah Al Faisal and Haya Al Humaid
Let’s Celebrate
We decided to create a contemporary
styled-adaptation of a famous artwork,
Degas’s Ballerinas. Hence we created an
artwork that conveyed feelings of serenity,
happiness and celebration. As a result, this
painting got the message across nicely.
We at AIS-R want to make the 21 st century
a century for a brighter future and a better
world with new ideas and festivity. Moving
ahead from the traditional style, as we tried
to do, allows you to open your mind to new
ideas and build up more for the future.
A Peaceful World
The world has so much to offer, with its
elegant abstract colors. They expand
throughout the horizon, bringing such
peace to our hearts. The bright sun peeks
over the grassy hills, which spread greenery
over the land.
Samantha, Caitlin, Aya, Anna,
Edda, Taya, Ibrahim
We Are AIS-R
This project represents all of the students
at AIS-R. The colorful painting is filled
with many different faces that are very
unique. It symbolizes our international
setting. There are many possible themes
and understandings to this particular art
project, but one exceedingly significant
one is that we are all equally important and
extraordinary in our own special way. All
the smiling, cheerful faces of students show
how happy we are together. The background
of the painting is also dramatic and bright,
however it also does an excellent job of
showing how stunningly lively and vibrant
our school campus is. Overall, this painting,
though expressed in anime, represents us.
Erica West and Dinar Sukanto
Swinging Away to Happiness
In AIS-R we swing away to learning,
growth and happiness.
Alina Haseeb and Ah Yeon
Source:
Morales, Ben. Advertisement. art 21.
PBS, 2008. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.
.
11

A Moment to Be Framed
by Marcelle Khoury
Elementary School Music
It is 1:40 P.M. on a beautiful Sunday
afternoon….
The children walk in a symphonic melody
of glee as the sun reflects on their rosy
cheeks. They quench their thirst with a swift
drink from the drinking fountain as the last
sun ray chases them down the hallway.
Then, they line up by my door ready for an
afternoon travelogue through the world of
music.
I am refreshed by the sounds of happy
children; I invite them in my classroom, and
so our magical journey begins.
Boys and girls come to rest on the carpet, and
just like the sun, they create an inspirational
energy in my classroom. As the children sit
patiently on the floor, I greet them with an
instant tune on my guitar:
“My guitar likes to sing
It sings everything
It sings about, you and you, you and you
and me”
I carry on by singing their names
individually!
“It sings about Holden, it sings about
Calvin, it sings about Leen, Mohammed,
Hana, Sara and Jumana….”
The parade of names marches past till
the last, yet not the least, name. As each
student’s name echoes in the room, I witness
dazzling eyes and contagious giggles.
Following the greeting tune, I challenge
them to make up their own verse to the
same tune.
12
“What about if you wrote your own verse”
I ask.
In response, their eyes widen while their
mouths become rounder, almost touching
their noses. A big cheer fills the air.
“Yeah!” they exclaim.
They begin to brainstorm about what
amazes them and what they wonder about.
They communicate excitedly to the class
about what they would like their guitar to
sing about! The children talk about nature,
family, friends, events, animals and toys,
and through discussion, they become aware
of contexts and meanings.
Additionally, they start thinking of rhyming
words in a delightful, spontaneous way.
When they are challenged to find a rhyming
word to fit in the context, they simply add a
silly rhyming word, which makes everyone
giggle.
As I take note of what the children are
saying, I feel rejuvenated by the clarity of
their thoughts, their sincerity, persistence,
and innocence. Through music, the children
are given the time and space to visit their
imaginations, which supports their mental
flexibility and enriches their creativity.
Louisa May Alcott once said:
“Far away there in the sunshine are my
highest aspirations. I may not reach them,
but I look up and see their beauty, believe
in them, and try to follow where they lead.”
I feel blessed and privileged to be able to
educate children through music. Music
opens the children’s eyes, hearts and minds
to the beauty and the magic of their dreams.
My heart beats a dolce tempo, as I play my
guitar steadily, accompanied by the children
singing. I leave you with their voices! (Can
you hear them)
“It sings about turtles
It sings about butterfl ies
It sings about dinos, rabbits, and cats
eating pies
It sings about the stars
It sings about the moon
It sings about the sky, the sun, the ocean
and the big silver spoon.
It sings about feelings
It sings about hearts
It sings about parents, friends, fl owers and
donkey carts.
My guitar likes to sing…………..”

Johnson, why are we doing this
“MMr. Johnson, when will we use
this Mr. Johnson, why is this important”
We’ve all heard these questions as teachers,
and we’ve all had to, at times, really think
about a good answer.
It’s true, motivating our students is one of
the most challenging aspects of teaching.
We get overwhelmed with making sure we
are reaching all of our students the best we
can. We stress when we don’t see progress
as quickly as we’d like. And yes, we just
plain and simply get tired.
As much of a challenge as motivating our
students can be, I have also found that it can
be one of the most rewarding experiences
one can have as a teacher. I’ve learned that
if we, as teachers, can invest in authentic
lessons in our classrooms, we can then enjoy
the return of highly motivated students. I
would like to share with you our transition
from “book” to “look” in our classroom
over the past month.
Since returning from the winter break , my
5 th grade class has ventured into a couple of
projects. First, we have been studying circle
graphs and bar graphs in math recently.
We have navigated our way through many
Math Journal pages learning about data and
how to incorporate that data into circle and
bar graphs. Don’t get me wrong, Everyday
Math does a great job of using real-world
examples for the students, but we took it
a step further. We decided to poll the fifth
grade this year on their “Favorites.” The
students came up with a wide range of
categories, voted on these categories, and
finally created their own circle and bar
Making It Real
graphs based on those results. This was a
wonderful chance to truly show the students
that their math skills could be utilized in the
real world.
Another learning adventure we kind of
fell into by mistake was our “Fish Tank
Project.” It all started with the generous
donation of the PE Department’s fish tank.
Coach Anderson thought that we could get
more use out of the “ole’ tank “ than he and
his colleagues could, so we jumped at the
opportunity to adopt. I didn’t really think
much of it at the time, but before I knew
it, we were in the stages of planning an
amazing aquarium for our classroom. I’ll
be the first to admit, I know absolutely
nothing about fish, so we all had to learn
together. Luckily, we had a few students
that had some general knowledge because
they had had fish in the past. What started
out as just taking a fish tank off the hands
of the PE Department turned into an all-out
class project.
As teachers, we always strive for those
“teachable moments,” and let me tell you,
this has been a “teachable moment” for the
entire month of January. We researched
fish, checked out books on fish, created
PowerPoint presentations on our favorite
fish, bought aquarium decorations and
fish for our tanks, battled with eliminating
cloudy water, and even examined several
fish diseases and uncommon behavior as
a result of a few of our goldfish becoming
ill early on. We even had fish expert, Mrs.
Flannery, come take a look and make
suggestions for the best aquarium we could
make. We’ve predicted, hypothesized,
drawn conclusions, and, of course, realized
the real answers through trail and error
by : David Johnson
Grade 5 Homeroom teacher
during our new project. After observing
our enthusiasm for our new undertaking,
Mr. Ranjan donated a second tank for
our room, and we took off with it as well.
Through this entire process, the students
have posed excellent questions, made great
observations, and have really learned from
each other’s suggestions and predictions.
We have taken class votes on decorations
and set-ups, and best of all, we are all
involved in feeding our fish each morning.
What I originally thought would be a simple
one-shot deal of setting up a fish tank has
turned into one of the best experiences
I have had in my teaching career simply
because of the true ownership my students
have with our newly acquired project. The
best part of this whole thing is that it is now
an on-going learning experience for us. We
will continue to learn about and observe
our fish, be responsible for maintenance,
and, finally, just sit back and enjoy our
aquariums. I would never have guessed
that the “ole’ tank” would turn into “our
tank” something we certainly take a lot of
pride in. This authentic learning quest has
been a breath of fresh air for our classroom,
and we are on our way to becoming 19 of
the finest fish experts on campus.
13

Empowering our Young Writersby Saurabh Luthra
Grade 4 Homeroom Teacher
The technological revolution that we are
experiencing today is transforming our
lives in many ways. The use of internet,
email, and text messages pervades every
aspect of our day and we are writing more
than ever before. We need to educate our
children to be able to “synthesize, organize,
reflect on, and respond” to the constant
stream of communication in this dynamic
new world.
Our children’s success across many
disciplines is primarily assessed through the
medium of their writing. It is important that
we take into consideration our knowledge
about how children develop during the
elementary school years. In these critical
developmental years, they do not need to
“cram” as in high school or college, but to
develop ways of thinking and behaving that
will eventually lead to valuable knowledge
and skills across all content areas.
There is truth in the belief that writing is a
supreme act of independence. The irony of it
is that, in the past, most approaches to writing
have led to inherently dependent behaviors.
But no more! More and more teachers are
recognizing the fact that children learn best
by putting their experiences together in new
ways. They need to construct knowledge;
not just swallow it.
The increased focus on writing is the
educational community’s response to these
changes. We recognize that students need
to receive “clear, sequenced, and vibrant
instruction in writing”. The teaching of
writing can be a joyful and nourishing
experience for both teachers and students.
Thus, the demand for ‘teaching of writing
as a subject’ has skyrocketed.
14
The elementary school at AIS-R prescribes
to the above views and this is reflected in
our current approach to writing. There is a
great thrust towards establishing a Writer’s
Workshop in every grade. The Writer’s
Workshop is an approach to writing in
which students are in charge of their own
writing. The goal of this workshop is to
get students to develop the same thought
processes as real writers and to make a
dramatic difference in their ability to write
not just from explicit writing instruction but
also from immersion.
Foundations of a Writing Workshop
Lucy Calkins, the director of the Teacher’s
College of Reading and Writing Project at
Columbia University has trained thousands
of teachers each summer to run an effective
writing workshop in their classroom.
According to her, as teachers of writing,
we have a ‘Bill of Rights’ that forms the
foundations of the Writing Workshop.
• Writing is taught as a subject in our
classrooms for 50-60 minutes almost
everyday.
• Skills and strategies of effective writing
and the qualities of good writing are
taught explicitly.
• Children learn to write with meaning,
not with words and conventions alone.
• Children are provided opportunities
and instruction to cycle through the
writing process regularly.
• Children are taught to write texts
like other writers - memoirs, stories,
editorials, essays, poems - for an
audience of readers, not just for the
teacher.
• Writers read text of all sorts aiming
to learn specific strategies for writing
well.
In the Writer’s Workshop, students learn that
there is no magical secret of writing. But
there is a process. From the early childhood
years, children are taught to follow definite
steps that will help achieve clearly specified
developmental writing goals.
Learning the Writing Craft
Lies About Writing Your Life Story
You have to be a famous celebrity.
You must have an amazing life.
You can’t write your life story until you are old and
gray.
Nobody will read it, so what’s the point
- Ralph Fletcher
The Writer’s Workshop has been an integral
part of the literacy program in my class for
the past five years – in the first grade and
now, in the fourth grade. Children write
about things that have actual meaning
to them — stories, newspaper articles,
captions for cartoons, and letters to one
another. They make lists of memorable
events and then write about the ones that
seem most interesting. Whether they choose
to write a group of vignettes, a chronology,
or a multi-genre collection of short pieces,
they know they can switch to another form
until it feels well suited to the story they are
trying to tell. Children write best when they
use writing to think and to communicate,
rather than to get a good grade.
To hone their writing craft, children are
equipped with the “Writer’s Toolbox”.
Instead of awls and hammers to carve a
block of wood, they use their writing tools
to craft writing pieces that are energetic
and alive. Their writer’s toolbox contains
the writer’s notebook, words, imagination,
mentor books, a sense of story, and skills
and strategies.

The teacher is akin to the master craftsman
in a wood crafting shop. Through mini
lessons, she explicitly states and models the
techniques and skills that are to be mastered.
While the craft learned is common to all,
the young apprentices work on their own
individual carving projects. The final
carving (the writing piece) is unique and
personal to each individual.
According to Ralph Fletcher, writers are
not wizards or word sorcerers who possess
some magical knowledge that is hidden
from everyone else. Writers are like other
people except for one important difference.
Most people have daily thoughts and
feelings, about this and that, but do little
about it. Not writers! Writers react. They
record their reactions of sadness, or anger,
or amazement in a notebook. In our Writing
Workshop, the writer’s notebook gives the
children a place to live like a writer.
I spend time each day having sustained
conversations with the children, individually
and in small groups. Such conversations
give children a chance to support their
views with evidence, change their minds
and use questions as a way to learn more.
Writing well about what really happened
and how it happened does not come
easily, especially early on. Writers need
encouragement, skillful guidance and
sound, practical advice to master their craft.
Otherwise, they can flounder for years,
repeating the same mistakes over and over
again, turning what should be a rewarding
and enlightening activity into an exercise in
frustration.
The Secret of being good writers
Ralph Fletcher has debunked these
statements of ‘what makes a good writer’ as
nothing but lies. He believes that children
already have everything they need to be a
writer: a character (themselves), a setting
(places they have been), and a plot (the
events that happened to them). Armed with
this knowledge, each day, they set about
exploring their own lives and arriving at new
shores of realization about themselves. Our
students are learning to lead ‘wide awake’
lives to approach schooling as makers of
knowledge and composers of meaning.
One of the important aspects of teaching
good writing was revealed to me the summer
when I attended the writing institute with
Lucy Calkins. I followed Lucy’s advice and
started to lead a ‘writerly life’, recording my
reactions and small memorable moments
of my life in a writer’s notebook. Sharing
entries from my own personal notebook in
class helps create an environment of trust
and support. Students feel reassured that
they, too, can record their thoughts and
feelings in their own writer’s notebooks
without fear of being judged or ridiculed.
Another, equally important aspect of
teaching writing is to help children develop
their own rhythm of cycling through the
writing process- the rehearsal, rough draft,
revision, editing and publishing. Children
gather tiny seed ideas from their everyday
life and plant them in their notebooks.
They nurture the seeds that germinate and
help them develop through the pages of the
notebook. When they see signs of a thriving
plant, they transplant it from the notebooks
to paper drafts, fertilizing and pruning it.
The blossoming tree is what is revealed to
the world.
The students’ writing development stands
on the shoulders of their previous years’
work. Hence, as a community of teachers
working closely together, we develop a
common language that students learn and
become adept at applying in their writing
work. They become more proficient as
time passes. The writing pieces generated
at progressive grade levels become
increasingly more sophisticated.
The results of the Writer’s Workshop have
been thrilling and extremely rewarding. By
allowing and guiding children to explore
topics that matter to them in frank and
honest ways, I have seen the resulting
writing pieces move adult audiences to
tears, laughter, and into reflective journeys
of their own lives. Is that not what ‘real
authors’ do
Jack Wilde very succinctly summarizes the
philosophy that guides my instruction, “It
is amazing what kids can do at this stage if
we give them a chance. As teachers we have
to cherish the joy children get from writing
because what matters most in our teaching
is that we not only help students become
better writers, we also help them to want
to write, to love what they have created in
words.”
Sources :
Calkins, Lucy M. The Art of Teaching
Writing. Portsmouth: Heinemann,
1986. Print.
Fletcher, Ralph. How to Write Your Life
Story. New York: Collins, 2007. Print.
- - -. A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the
Writer Within You. New York: Avon
Camelot Book, 1996. Print.
15

The 21st Century Learner
and Technology
in my car. It was a miracle of science! There
were no iPods; there were no flash drives;
there were only CD’s. Fast forward twelve
years, and CD’s are virtually extinct. What
does this mean when today’s graduates turn
thirty Technology changes rapidly, and
young people respond to this change as
users of technology. So much changes so
quickly. It is a challenge to keep up with the
21st century learner:
by : Jason Inghram
MS Technology
The students have the world at their
fingertips. There is almost no question that
cannot be answered or found online, and
you can be online almost anywhere in the
world. Students are thinking, “Why do I
have to remember when this battle was
fought I can just Google it. Why do I have
to learn how to spell this word I can just
spell-check it.” Instead of asking kids to
memorize incongruent facts, teachers are
The word “century” stands for 100 years.
To use that word in conjunction with
technology seems inaccurate considering
that a century ago, people were raving over
the electric washing machine. I cannot even
begin to write about education in the 21st
century, but I can guess fairly accurately
about technology that might appear in the
classroom for 2010. I can also guess that in
the next few seconds a new technology, web
page, or classroom model will come out and
demolish everything that I am about to say
in this article.
To understand how technology is affecting
the classroom, we need to understand
today’s learners. They are a lot different
from when I went to school. I graduated
from high school twelve years ago. Yes,
twelve long years. The coolest technology
that the school received in our “technology
class,” which basically consisted of my
teacher telling us what page number or
activity in our Microsoft Excel workbook
we would be doing that day, was a CD
writer. I could burn CD’s and listen to them
16
‣Sleeps 7 hours a day
‣Has class for 5 hours a day
‣Games 3 ½ hours a day
‣Spends 3 ½ hours online
‣Spends 3 hours studying
‣Listens to music 2 ½ hours a day
‣Reads 2 hours a day
‣Eats 2 hours a day
‣Watches 1 ½ hours of T.V. a day
‣Reads 8 books a year
‣Reads 2,300 web pages a year
‣Reads 1,200 Facebook profiles a year
‣Writes 500 pages of email a year
(Michael Wesch, Kansas State University,
2007)
All of the mathematicians out there might
find that the total time-spent for these
students reaches 30 hours a day. Today’s
learner is a multi-tasker: they Facebook;
they text; they Tweet; they YouTube;
they download whatever they want; they
upload whatever they want; they play video
games against kids across the world; they
create media; they manipulate media; they
comment on media. If they cannot find a
song for their YouTube video they make
one. They are reading Yahoo’s top stories
while downloading and listening to today’s
top hits. They are downloading movies,
finishing their homework for history class
and submitting it online, checking their
email and updating their Facebook profile
all at the same time (Whew!) How can an
educator keep up
Today’s educator is no longer a figure that
stands in front of a room and disseminates
information. An effective, modern educator
must morph their role into that of a guide.
helping to build skills and understandings
that will guide students to make educated
decisions about problems that they will face
(or at least problems we think that they might
face). According to former Secretary of
Education Richard Riley, “The top ten jobs
in 2010 didn’t exist six years ago.” If that
trend stays true, then AIS-R’s sophomores
are now preparing for jobs that do not
yet exist. It is the job of today’s educator
to guide these kids through that dense
highway of information. We give them the
foundation to build a new highway. We are
their Garmin. Tell us your destination and
we will help you arrive safely (New maps
might have to be downloaded).
Sources:
Jones, Robert. The Jobs Revolution:
Changing How America Works. Austin,
TX: Copywriters, 2004. Print.
Wesch, Michael. “ A Vision of Students
Today.” Kansas State University.
Manhattan, Kansas. 12 Oct.
2007. youtube.com. Web 9 Feb.
2010. http://www.youtube.com/
watchv=dGCJ46vyR9o.>